Machine for setting fasteners



R. B. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR SETTING FASTENERS. APPLICATION FILED JULYH,19.17.

L mflw mm N r. Q W W R. B. SMITH.

MACHINE FOR SETTING FASTENERS. APPLICATION FILED JULYII, 1917.

1,371,329. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Fig.5 1

Fig. 6 7QZW/WM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SMITH, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE'FOR SETTING FASTENERS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 15 1921.

Application filed July 11, 1917. Serial No. 179,962.

To all'whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stoughton, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Setting Fasteners, of which the following descripion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for setting fasteners and is illustrated as embodied in a machine especially adapted for handling the supplementary parts of compound fasteners, in this case gromets and washers. As will later appear, certain features of the invention are equally applicable to machines for setting or inserting other fasteners of this class-such as rivets and burs, the parts of a ball and socket fastener, and the like.

Many machines for setting compound fasteners are so constructed and arranged that it is necessary to position manually one or both of the parts of a fastener in operative relation to the setting or inserting instrumentalities. It is obvious that such manual intervention results in greatly decreasing the speed of operation and at the same time materially increases the possibility of injury to the operator.

.One object of the invention is to provide an improved machine especially organized to present the supplementary parts of a compound fastener to operative position and apply them to the work to the end that manual intervention, with its attendant disadvantages, is avoided.

In many machines heretofore used for setting compound fasteners the work has been shifted manually from one fastener-re ceiving position to the next, instead of being fed by automatic mechanism. This has been due to the fact that the greater proportion of articles to be provided with such fasteners require so few fasteners, or require so great spacing between them, that it has not been feasible to encumber the machines with automatic feeding mechanism. The foregoing conditions apply to such articles as sails, tents, blankets, floor-coverings and awnings. On the other hand, some articles such as military belts, leggings, and heavy boots require compound fasteners at comparatively short and regular intervals. Another object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved machine for setting or inserting compound fasteners in which the machine shall feed the work to effect the desired spacingbetween the successive fasteners, it being immaterial whether or not the feeding operation is conjoint with the presentation of the parts of the fastoners to setting position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine for applying annular members in which the lateral movement of the element of the machine which is arranged to engage the work to feed it will be utilized for removing an annular member from a fixed raceway and for transferring it into operative relation, for example, to the setting devices. I

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the workis fed by a'member associated with one ofthe setting devices and this member is utilized also'for removing an annular member, for example, a washer, from a raceway. 'A hole is formed in the work by means of a punchwhich is preferably arranged to pass through the lowermost washer in the raceway in order to punch the hole, after which the punch is withdrawn and the feeding member is passed through the washer and inserted into the punched hole as a step precedent to feeding the work.

Other features will be apparent from a consideration of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention in a machine especially. designed for setting gromets and washers. This description refers to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the punching and setting instrumentalities, together with the raceways for supplying fasteners thereto;

Fig; 2 is a view of the completed work; and

Figs. 3 to (ishow successive steps in the operation of the machine. v

The particular construction and arrangement of the punching and setting instrumentalities is not essential to this invention but they are here shown, for-example, as embodied in a machine of the type illustrated in Letters Patent No. 603,023 granted upon an application of Seymour Field,'on April 26, 1898. To this end thereis shown a supporting frame 10 mounted upon which is a work plate 12. Mounted in bearings' upon this frame is an axially reciprocable lower set bar 14L in which is clamped the setting device 16 provided with the usual spring-pressed center spindle 18. The other setting device is. adjustably. mounted upon the top set lever 20 and will be seen to con-,

stitute a top set 22 of usual construction provided with a projecting pilot 23. A punch 24 is carried upon a punch lever 26 and a presser foot 28 resiliently holds thework against the table 12 but may be raised to allow feeding movement of the work at the desired time.

barrel type,- which are to be engaged by'the outwardly flanged portion 36 of the gromets 37 when the same are Setin the work. .1 (See Fig. 2). This raceway is of a similar con struction to the raceway 30 andis provided with rails 38 for supporting the flange of the washer and guiding'its barrel. At the lower end, there is provided a spring-retaining finger {1070f the common type which acts as astop for the washers in the raceway but permits the lowermost washer to be removed during the operation of the machine. :This raceway is constructed and arranged so that the lowermost annular member therein is threaded by the punch in its movement to punching position against the punch block 27 and to this end the cover plate of the raceway is notched at 42, as shown in Fig.

1. An adjustable edge gage 44 is provided upon the work table 12. p

The operating parts are shown in their rest position in Fig. 3, from whichflit will be seen that thetwo setting'devices 16 and 22 arein alinement and that the punch 24: is over the end otithe raceway 32. As a first step, the punch 21 descends, as shown in Fig. 1, and, threading the washer 341 at the end of the raceway 32, it pierces the work 50 which has been placed upon the table "12 beneath the presser foot 28 and against the edge gage 4A. this time, the lower set-16 has commenced to descend and the raceway 30 is moving forward to the position shown in Fig. 5, so that thelowermost gromet yieldingly retained by the finger 31, is directly above the spindle 18 upon the lower set. The next step in the oppicks oil the lowermost gromet in the race- .way 30 whlch retreats in a well understood fashion. At the same time, the upper set the work. ment, they are brought together so that the supplementaryparts lot the fasteners to the by' Letters Patent of the United States is:

eration is represented in this figure and it will be seen that the punch 24L has been lifted away from the table and the work and has moved to one side while the upper set 22 has moved laterally and descended so that the projecting pilot 23 thereon has threaded the lowermost washer in the raceway 32 and the 22.1noves laterally into alinement with the lower set carrying with it the washer 34 and hen-the two sets are in alinewasher is positioned on the barrel of the gromet and the gromet set in the usual fashion to give the finished product-.1llustrated in'Fig: 2. The upper and lower sets then separate and return to the rest position indi cated in Fig. .5, after which the operation described may be repeated. 7

It will be noted that thedeliveryof the setting devices is entirely automatic and. that owing to the use of a washer which is provided with a barrel projection such as is described in Patent No. 1,163,112 issued upon an application of lValter Shaw, it is possible to deliver the washers from a hop per to the raceway in an exactly similar fashion to the well understood delivery of eyelets or gromets from a hopper to a raceway. Adjustment ofthe length of feed 1 5 by any' suitable mechanism such as is described in the abovementioned patent to Field will necessitate the adjustment of the position of the raceway 32 so that the lowermost fastener therein shall be in position to be threaded by the punch as it descends to operate upon the work. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure 1. In a machine of the class described, two raceways for supplying the complemental parts of two-part fasteners, and two cooperative setting devices arranged to transfer the complemental parts of a fastener from the raceways respectively to a clenching locality, one'oi' said setting devices having a pilot andbeing movable to insert the latter through a fastener part and into the work while said fastener part is in its race- 'way and thereafter being movable laterally to feed the work and to transfer the said fastener part to the clenching locality.

In a machine of the class described, an ax ally movable setting device,'a racewayl30 movable into the path of said setting device, a cooperating setting device provided with a projecting member and arranged for axial setting movement and lateral feeding movement to feed the work by reason of the engagement of said projecting member therewith, and a fixed raceway for annular members positioned and'arranged so that the projection upon said setting device will thread the lowermost annular member in the raceway as it moves to engage the work and will remove said member from the raceway as it moves to feed the work.

3. In a machine for setting compound fasteners, a setting die, means for supplying one kind of parts of said fasteners to said die, a punch, a raceway for supplying the supplementary annular parts of said fasteners arranged so that the lowermost annular part will be threaded by the punch during the punching operation, and a setting device arranged to engage said lowermost annular part and a hole in the work, said latter setting device being movable laterally to feed the work and the annular part and movable axially to cooperate with the other setting device in attaching the parts of the compound fastener to the work.

4. In a machine for setting gromets and washers, a lower setting die, means for supplying gromets to said die, a punch, a raceway for washers arranged so that the lowermost washer will be threaded by the punch during the punching operation and an upper set arranged to engage the lowermost washer and a hole in the work, means for moving the same laterally to feed the work and the washer, and means for moving said set axially to assist in setting the gromet and the washer in the work.

5. Fastener-inserting mechanism comprising a setting device having a pilot portion, and mechanism arranged to move it endwise into the work and then laterally to feed the work, and a raceway arranged to present a fastener to said device in registration with the lines of endwise movement along which the device moves to enter the work.

6. Fastener-inserting mechanism comprising a fastener-engaging tool, a raceway arranged to supply annular fasteners to said tool. and mechanism arranged to operate said tool so as to cause it to impale a fastener and an article of work while the fastener is in said raceway and thereafter to feed the work and detach the impaled fastener from the raceway.

7. In a machine of the class described, raceways for annular members, a punch arranged to make holes in the work in predetermined relation to the endmost annular member in one of the raceways, and a setting device having a member arranged to thread the endmost annular member in the raceway and a hole formed in the work by said punch and mechanism for moving said setting device laterally to remove the annular member from the raceway and bring it to at taching position and to feed thework.

8. In a machine for attaching compound fasteners, a work-feeding and fastener-setting tool, a setting tool arranged to cooperate therewith, mechanism arranged to move the first said tool'into the work then laterally to feed the work, and raceways for supplyin fasteners to the tools respectively, the raceway for supplying the feeding tool being arranged to support the leading fastener inconcentric relation to the feeding tool as the latter enters the work, so that the subsequent lateral movement of that tool will remove the fastener from the raceway while feeding the work.

9. In a machine for attaching compound fasteners one part of which is an annular member, raceways for the respective parts of said fasteners, cooperating setting devices, one of said devices being only movable axially and the other device being movable axially and laterally, and mechanism constructed and arranged to effect the removal of the supplementary parts of a compound fastener from the raceways by causing relative movement of the setting devices and the raceways and to effect the feeding of the work by a lateral movement of one of the setting devices transversely to its axis.

10. A machine for setting compound fasteners, raceways for the parts of said fasteners, a punch arranged to make a hole in the work in predetermined relation to the endmost fastener in one of said raceways, and setting devices arranged to engage the endmost fasteners in the respective raceways and remove the same and set them in the work, one of said setting devices being arranged to engage one of the fasteners and the related hole in the work and movable laterally to feed the work and the associated fastener.

11. In machine for attaching compound fasteners, two cotiperative setting tools one of which. is movable relatively to the other to feed the work, and raceways arranged to supply cooperative parts of a compound fastener to said tools respectively, the delivery ends of the raceways being offset laterally from alinement with each other and the feeding tool being arranged to transfer a fastener part from one of the raceways to coaxial registration with the other tool.

12. In a machine for attaching compound fasteners, two cooperative setting tools one of which is movable relatively to the other to feed the work. and raceways arranged to supply cooperative parts of a compound fastener to said tools respectively, said feeding tool and the raceway by which it is supplied being so constructed and arranged that a fastener part is transferred from the raceway to attaching position by feeding movement of the tool. 7

13. In a machine for attaching annular fasteners, two cooperative setting tools one of which is movable laterally to feed the work, and a raceway arranged to supply fasteners to the feeding tool, the latter being ar ranged and operated to transfer, by its work feeding movement, a fastener from the raceway to the work.

14. In a machine for attaching annular fasteners, a setting tool having a pilot portion, a raceway for supplying fasteners to said tool, means arranged to move said tool in one direction so as to insert the pilot-portion through a fastener and into the Work while the fastener is in the raceway, means,

forrmoving said tool laterally to feed the i work and to remove the fastener from the -15. In a machine for attaching annular;

fasteners, a raceway for supplying fasteners, a work-feeding tool formed and arranged to impale the leading fastener in the raceway, mechanism arranged to move said tool in one direction to impale the fastener and to enter the work while the fastener is in the raceway and in another direction to feed the work and simultaneously to detach the impaled fastener from the raceway, and means forattaching the fastener to the work.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ROBERT B. SMITH. 

